The U.S. monthly catalog and the publications reference file as collection development tools

The 1991 Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications was examined using a random sample of 668 publications in order to determine what percentage of materials produced at the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) were available through the depository library system, and how many of those were offered through the Sales Division via the Publications Reference File (PRF). It was found that 98 percent of publications (655 titles) in the Monthly Catalog were depository items. The remaining two percent (13 titles) are discussed as an indicator of what was not available through the depository system. It was also found that only nine percent of the publications (62 titles) in the Monthly Catalog were listed as available through the Sales Division. Of that nine percent, only 60 percent (37 titles), were listed in the PRF after one year. The nature of these publications and their average prices are examined. Also discussed are the publications dropped from the PRF. A total of 293 publications were identified as available through either GPO or agency distribution, representing 44 percent of the original sample.     

Integrating and Advertising Government Publications Internally and Externally: A Guide for Documents Librarians

ABSTRACT

Government publications contain a wealth of information. In an effort to increase the usage of these important publications, the staff at Bierce Library, University of Akron, use the following strategies to integrate and advertise government publications into the library activities and the community: (1) cataloging the publications so they appear on the local online catalog as well as the statewide catalog, (2) integrating them into the bibliographic instruction program, (3) listing them in pathfinders as sources on various topics, (4) making them a focus of “hot topics” such as health care reform, (5) presenting and promoting special workshops on specialized government databases such as the National Trade Data Bank and GPO Access (using the flyer approach), (6) visiting your Congressional Representative's Office to increase awareness of the information available in Depository Libraries to his/her constituents, (7) discussing these avenues at state groups, (8) including these methods in conferences, and (9) joining forces with other Documents Librarians in the area to create a depository brochure announcing hours, services, and highlights of each depository collection, and making this information available on a web page. The above strategies are generic enough that libraries can easily implement them into their programs.

The effect of these strategies is measured by an increased use of government publications. This can be monitored with circulation statistics and use of electronic products. The results are inconclusive if only circulation statistics are used.     

Policy implications of a model public information service: the DOSFAN experience

The unique three-way partnership formed by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s federal depository library, the U.S. State Department, and the Government Printing Office (GPO) to deliver and preserve foreign policy information through servers housed at the University’s library offers some critical insights into the assumptions and policies of the GPO’s Federal Depository Library Program. Ultimately, the Internet’s explosive growth, combined with powerful graphical interfaces of the major Web browsers, undermines several recently enacted laws that attempt to standardize (or centralize) effective information resource management within the federal government. Not only has GPO steadily lost political and economic support over the last decade from both legislative and executive leaders for its production and distribution programs, many agencies now consider their “.gov Webspaces” the natural successors to the GPO and its depository library program. As a result, a new model of government information distribution is being forged within the highly decentralized and interactive environment of the World Wide Web.     

The dissemination of federal government information: Prospects for the immediate future

The Government Printing Office is currently undertaking a study to “Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program.” With an anticipated date of 1998 for the implementation of an “electronic depository library program” this GPO study will become the blueprint for restructuring the FDLP. The ability of GPO to secure agency dissemination of electronic information through the FDLP as well as the willingness of depository libraries to remain in the Program will ultimately determine the long-term viability of the FDLP.     

Depository libraries,the Internet,and the 21st century?

The convergence of Internet technology and federal information policy are encouraging federal information producers and users to adopt a new direct model of information dissemination of federal information from producing agency to end user. On the surface, this trend would appear to remove the traditional middlemen—the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and depository libraries—from the dissemination model. To assess the impact of the Internet model on the future viability of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the traditional GPO/depository library model of information dissemination is examined in four areas, keeping in mind the underlying intent of the FDLP to assure access to federal information in all congressional districts.     

U.S. government (depository items)

The new frontier of electronic access was fully explored in the past year. Government agency “gophers” proliferated on the Internet, featuring a wide variety of government information previously only available in print. Likewise, many gophers at academic institutions posted significant new government reports in a timely manner. A good example is the National Performance Review's From Red Tape to Results: Creating a Government that Works Better & Costs Less, which was posted on the Internet well before many depositories received their print copies. The one constant is that GPO (Government Printing Office) continues to issue publications containing valuable information. In addition to the National Performance Review, many other important reports were published by GPO this year, including those of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters, the National Commission on AIDS, and the ATF Investigation of the David Koresh/Waco incident. This list does not even mention the Clinton Administration's Health Security Act and the full depository release of the Clarence Thomas Hearings. It has been a full year. The documents included in this Notable Documents issue were received by depository libraries from midyear 1993 to midyear 1994. They were selected for their general interest, lasting value, research significance, or timeliness. Most of the documents are available from the Superintendent or from one of the GPO bookstores around the country (see Monthly Catalog for a listing). Those documents that do not list a stock number or price may be available in limited quantities from the issuing agency.     

The GPO and the depository library program as structured are needed: Views of a selective depository librarian

This article addresses issues previously discussed as perceived problems with the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and the Government Printing Office (GPO) relative to a floundering program, electronic capabilities, costs to participating libraries, inept and inefficient service, and accountability requirements. The author believes that unfavorable images have resulted and been used by various advocacy groups in their arguments intended to bring the GPO, the FDLP and program libraries into a disadvantaged position. Such issues may have a bearing on whether the institution at which this writer is employed will continue to have the opportunity to participate as a depository library.     

OCLC records for federal depository documents: A preliminary investigation

A representative sample of 300 printed monographs and analyzed serials distributed to depository libraries was searched in the OCLC online system to determine when, how, and by whom depository documents are likely to be cataloged. Particular attention was paid to differences between dates of distribution and cataloging for sales publications, for all titles cataloged by the Government Printing Office, and for those cataloged by the Library of Congress. Patterns relating to document distribution as well as to cataloging practices were discernible from survey results and are presented here. Major findings may be summarized as follows: 1) not all depository monographs are cataloged by the Government Printing Office; 2) sales publications are cataloged quickly, often before distribution by GPO; 3) the quality of cataloging records for depository documents available on OCLC is generally high; 4) the Library of Congress catalogs relatively few depository documents and is comparatively slow to do so; and 5) many different types of OCLC member libraries catalog federal depository documents, often before GPO does. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for future changes in documents cataloging policies among depository libraries, and argues for greater inclusion of documents records in the many online, public-access catalogs currently being planned or used.     

Fixing the depository library system: Some thoughts on vacuum cleaners,the manifesto,and the state of the government information distribution system,with a modest proposal to remedy the various ills therein: A viewpoint

Some of the recent literature discussing the problems of the U.S. federal depository library system is reviewed. Various suggestions for fixing the system are noted and further suggestions advanced. The suggestions in this paper are (1) decrease the size of the List of Classes, (2) open the depository system to more public libraries, and (3) end the requirement that regional depositories keep all material forever.     

A graphic look at GPO depository distribution: 1975–1993

The American Library Association Government Documents Round Table in the early 1980s prepared statistics guidelines for government documents collections. These guidelines suggested that a collection's federal publications be counted and reported in the same manner as similar materials that are nongovernmental. This paper demonstrates how statistics might be maintained on federal publications acquisitions and holdings to describe trends in GPO depository distribution. Such data included in annual reports may be graphically displayed for comparison over a number of years to show how trends in GPO depository distribution have affected budget and space needs.     

The 1907 admission of land-grant university depository libraries: A 90-year perspective

This presentation of how land-grant university libraries became federal depository libraries in 1907 examines the principal legislative statutes creating the land-grant university system. It proceeds to cover how a congressional Printing Commission, concerned with eliminating duplicative governmental publications, also produced legislation granting federal depository status to the libraries of land-grant universities. There is also discussion of the presence of GPO Access gateways at many land-grant university depositories and the continuing relevance of the land-grant university service ideal to the depository library program during its transition to an increasingly electronic environment. The historical evolution of America's rural electric industry, community network movement, and federal information resource management initiatives also present potentially useful service models for emerging electronic depositories.     

U.S. government printing office,no more

Changes in electronic technology and publishing and distribution patterns are affecting how government agencies are making information available. These factors, as well as the Government Printing Office's (GPO) monopoly-like status, its inability to transform its operations as described in GPO/2001: Vision for a New Millennium, its historical inefficiency, and its potential violation of the separation of powers doctrine require new institutional arrangements for the distribution of government information to the public. This author recommends that GPO be abolished and its printing authority be transferred to the General Services Administration (GSA). In addition, the author recommends that the Superintendent of Documents be transferred to the Library of Congress, an Office of Congressional Printing Management be established, and the GPO work force be reduced and then relocated to other agencies. In addition, a statutory policy should be articulated by Congress to disseminate government information to the public and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should be directed to implement this policy.     

General characteristics of private academe and public U.S. federal depository libraries

Do public federal depository libraries located in private colleges have paradoxical characteristics? Private academe may have an aura of exclusivity, but federal depository library status ensures that the public has access to government materials. In the first segment of this two-part study, general depository and institutional characteristics are profiled. Comparisons are made between public and private academic depositories and depositories as a whole. Most private academic depositories are located in religiously affiliated small colleges with higher than average tuitions. Due to the small size of many private academic depositories, many may rely on the larger public institutions. Although the average GPO item selection for private academe is far less than the average public academic counterpart, if item selection is compared to student enrollment, private depositories select more than their share. Depository promotion and issues of public access will be further explored in the second article in this study.     

The government printing office cataloging records: Opportunities and problems

The first part of this article describes the GPO cataloging records on the GPO MARC tapes, on OCLC, and in the monthly Catalog, and introduces a costeffective method of using these records in a library catalog. The second part of the article presents a proposal for the comprehensive correction and updating of the GPO cataloging records.     

A Virtual Depository

Abstract

The University of Arizona Library, in conjunction with the United States Government Printing Office's Library Programs Service, worked to create a model for a virtual depository by replacing tangible documents with their online counterparts whenever possible. The partnership was achieved by dedicated teamwork: the UA team provided the searching and assessment; the GPO team provided the legal and organizational framework as well as the indexing. At the end of the pilot project's year the program was deemed to be a success and GPO and UA worked to make this process a more permanent one with positivelong-term effects in terms of costs and human and physical resources.     

Age of Aquarius—The FDLP in the 21st century

With the appointment of Bruce James as Public Printer of the United States in 2002 (confirmed by the Senate on November 20, 2002),¹ the Government Printing Office (GPO) began to forecast and plan for its future in the age of the Internet. During the spring of 2005, the Depository Library Council (DLC), an advisory body to the Public Printer, concluded it was time for depository librarians to play a more active part in envisioning the future of government information. Toward that end, DLC wrote a discussion paper, Knowledge Will Forever Govern: A Vision Statement for Federal Depository Libraries in the 21st Century, ² and with the GPO's support devoted the 2005 Fall Depository Library Council meeting to discussing and refining a vision for the future of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).     

Depository library collections and services in an electronic age: A review of the literature

This article examines the literature that discusses technological applications for the collections and services of GPO depository libraries. It identifies areas treated in the literature and topics for further writing and research. The purpose is to present a collection of basic readings and a framework for viewing a growing body of literature.     

A brief history of the Federal Depository Library Program: A personal perspective

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) has served as a major public access point for government information for well over 130 years. Recent budget cuts to the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) appropriations and an increased use of electronic formats for dissemination purposes have created many changes and problems for the system and the depository libraries that serve it. This article discusses the history of the FDLP and the impact of new formats in the last 25 years—especially electronic information. It also discusses the future of the FDLP and some of the problems that electronic information has brought to depository libraries and the need of depository librarians to accept and manage these new formats.     

GPO recalls of depository documents A review

Since the very early 1980s, various government agencies have increasingly issued requests to depository libraries directly or through the Government Printing Office (GPO) to destroy or return certain distributed documents. This article cites recalled documents and explores the reasons for their recall. Most recalls fall into one of five problem categories: military security, administrative and operational security, falsified data, outright censorship, and environmental security. Specific reasons for recall are seldom given and must be inferred by examining specific titles. Librarians have shown little published interest in the subject of recalls, but an informal survey indicated general compliance with the recall requests. The GPO also has said little except to ask agencies to direct the recalls through the federal Depository Library Program. It is concluded that the GPO should take a more active role in reviewing agencies' requests, since many recall requests have been of doubtful value, and that government documents librarians should assess recalls on a case-by-case basis.